Killerstrands Products - Killerstrands Kits - Check out The 'Beauty Shots' !

 First there were Killerstrands Products............. and then: Kits, which were created by YOU....the customer.

Our Site and product list has grown so much I wondered if it might become confusing. . ..so I decided to do a mini photo shoot......

and

 pinpoint our most popular products, they are then brought together by pairings in which customers would purchase them together ......

Wasn't my thinking...."YOU" the customer showed me the products you liked to purchase together with each other. 
We then put them together - gave them some silly "Name" knocked a few dollars off (to Thank You !) - - and - - then .....
 POOF.............the Killerstrands Kits were. . . BORN

A 2 Oil - Fantastic for skin or hair or skin     ...........as  are ALL our Oil Combo's !                            

M/C Oil Meadowfoam + Coconut Oil w/ light Plumeria scent

Thriven-lite, even though its been out for years.....lately it is having a huge resurgence in sales, so you may want to give it a try and see what all of the HOOPLA is about ! 

It a much lighter version of Thriven and works wonderfully as a daily conditioner....and of course at a less expensive price. 

If your hair is:

• dull
• dry
• damaged
• breaking-off
• scalp is bad 
• frizzy
• curly
• fried
• color damaged
• hot tool damaged
• etc...etc...

 My # 1 suggestion is to get the 400WATT Kit and begin  a regular routine of application....I wish to Good I had sved all the positive email responses in regards to these products....you should be absolutely thrilled as most people are after 30-45 days of them.  

Next week a complete Tutorial on BOOST & BURST

Enjoy...

KC & Staff                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

The Bleach Toy 8 Hair Swatches Lightened for Learning

Photographed Lab experiment on Hair swatches: in attempt to de-mystify the lightening process for those at home - contemplating the process.



In an attempt to de-mystify bleach and lighteners in general, I decided to take on a little project.



Projects similar to what I used to run 15-16 years ago when trying to decipher this mess myself. I had a helluva time understanding this, I swear. It was like a foreign language to me I can see after recently cracking open my notebook and reviewing some of my old notes. At least once a month from now on we will have one of these demonstrations, I am shooting for 2. I have a list already of what to tackle.



One of my goals to make the site better for you, the readers, is to save up to have a more user-friendly site made & designed. With the amount of photos I'd like to use, Blogger does not work with that in mind, so please remember that when viewing this. This site is made for "WORDS" not pics.



I will attempt to lay captions so you can understand the process and goal.



Goal:

• To show Killerstranders how bleach works on a LEVEL 7G (gold - toned). In minutes & hours.


• How Toner works

It seems many of you think that lighteners works faster than they do.

I don't mean "you" I mean many of the heads of hair walking around the planet.

Therefore I wanted to show how slow the process really takes.

Began with 8 swatches of Level 7 G hair from a 12 year old who came to donate her hair to LOCKS OF LOVE, I figured you all would be just as grateful for her contribution (not to worry: I sent in her other braid).

Unfortunately the lighting does not do the color justice, trust me this is a solid Level 7 G hair.

 Bleach on the hair for 3 1/2 hours is where the difference is finally made visible. I would never let anyone walk out of the Salon with that either unless, they were headed toward a LEVEL 8 /9 Blond. Which would take a very powerful Toner to tone down the yellow.

NOT all hair can be ALL colors - remember that



See what the 10/89 Pearl Ash toner does to it at 3.1/2 hours? Not much! Its much more than it appears in this photo but not enough for me to be happy.
I like my blonds with ZERO yellow.

Here we have the beginning color and mixing up the Bleach and 40 Volume.


The FIRST swatch 15 minutes - will always be one of the biggest changes, then the change tapers off.



Bleach and 30 - 45 - 60 minutes the change starts to slow down, and is less

                                      

Here we have the beginning color and mixing up the Bleach and 40 Volume.


The FIRST swatch 15 minutes - will always be one of the biggest changes, then the change tapers off.



Bleach and 30 - 45 - 60 minutes the change starts to slow down, and is less


Bleach on the hair for 3 1/2 hours is where the difference is finally made visible. I would never let anyone walk out of the Salon with that either unless, they were headed toward a LEVEL 8 /9 Blond. Which would take a very powerful Toner to tone down the yellow.

NOT all hair can be ALL colors - remember that




See what the 10/89 Pearl Ash toner does to it at 3.1/2 hours? Not much! Its much more than it appears in this photo but not enough for me to be happy with.

The blank sheet of paper is the next day I decided to run the hair through bleach for 90 more minutes! So 5 hours on Level 7 hair and it honestly could have taken about another 30 minutes to reach that Gwen Stefani blond.

The swatch on the left has no toner the swatch on the right has the 10/89 Toner.

Down lower here with the 6 swatches....and taken in better light...I think you can see the gradient change even better.

That is 15 min. - 45 min - 3 1/2 hours - 5 hours & 5 hours with toner

The last 2 swatches?

Level 7hair with 5 hours and 2 complete batches of bleach and 40 volume......and TONER.

So it takes pretty much an entire day to reach this....and that is on LEVEL 7 hair which is light

Those of you with darker hair keep that in mind.

Any questions?

At the very bottom of this page ...is a SLIDE show of the experiment >with captions, to clarify - check it out

.

















































The FIRST swatch 15 minutes - will always be one of the biggest changes, then the change tapers off.



Bleach and 30 - 45 - 60 minutes the change starts to slow down, and is less
apparent...although it is still working to get to the level that you need it at.

Frizz-Free Help for Frizzy & Curly Hair-monsters

Frizz-Free HAIR -7 SECRET TIPS for Frizz-FREE HAIR

And a new Serum Pages to come to the rescue

#7.........Stop - Drop & ROLL ---> Pile your curls on top of your head and let tendrils drop around your face. ..Its a very sexy look for summer...always always apply plenty of Serum, we hav manynew Seruns to choose from!

#6........Huff & Puff ---> The trick to achieving a neat, glossy curl is to blow-dry hair straight first - before you start curling, using serum, spray detangler and your IONIC Blow dryer...sounds like loads of work BUT . . .the results are worth it if FRIZZ-FREE is the goal leaving your curls luscious & shiny.

#5.........Stiff N' Crispy.The very worse type of curl? the Stiff Crispy Curl...even 'saying the words' gags you & forces you back to the "proper products" category, staying away from cheap mousse's AND not applying too much product. Make sure to get a product suited to your hair, there are many different types of curly hair ( fine, coarse...etc)...and once you have the correct goop be sure to shake the excess water out of your hair - swinging the hair side to side gently ( no towel) - before applying the goop to the hair rather than soaking wet hair.

#4..........Press & Curl..........Preventing the Frizz comes from smoothing the Frizz with a Curling Iron. The bigger the curls the bigger the barrel and the bigger the section. Change the 2 variables and you change the size of the tendrils. Small Barrel, small section = smaller curls for the perfect loop

#3......... Snip the Splits....... Frizzy hair can often suffer from mega dry ends. To help beat "crispy" hair, make sure you have a good trim every three to four weeks to keep those tips in tip top shape. Find a stylist that "swears" they will perform a "tip-trim"...just trim 'the TIPS" and a Stylist that specializes in Curls is always the most helpful !

#2.......SHOWER FILTER.........I don't admit it but my hair over the years has gone from straight to a mop of not pretty uneven wavy kinky curls so I completely 'get' the never-ending battle.I will NEVER EVER stop on this....it is imperative, and especially for you mop-tops. Filtering the crud out of the water, WILL lessen the FRIZZ...clean clear crystal pure water is absolutely AMAZING for the condition of the hair. How does your 'tap' water taste? As horrible as mine? if you can't drink it comfortably then do NOT RINSE YOUR HAIR WITH IT. A shower filter can be had in a million and one places on the Internet....Aquasana is a great brand, so are the rest. It will cost you between $125 & $200 > for the year! You can get a decent filter for $50.00 - be sure to change the filters or you've wasted even that.

#1.........2 for 1..........last but not Least?? I get this question a lot......how to use the FLAT IRON to make Curls, so you are only buying one tool. The Photo below shows it..........In words: Place the SECTION of hair at the root horizontally on the flat Iron and Tilt and Turn the iron 360 degrees forward. Holding your hair taut by the ENDS, slowly slide the Iron at the same angle until you come to the ends, then tilt Irons slightly to the side and

that's it. Let them cool before touching or playing with. Everyone needs to find their ouwn specific arsenal of product - as a Sassoon trained Stylist they taught us to cherish and love the texture of hair you HAVE. Changing it always takes some of the health and shine from it as you fight what is normal. 

I would love to hear from some of you that get SUCCESSFUL straightening treatments. There must be some of the Keratin or Brazilian treatments that work and don't destroy hair.... you notice I won't get one.Please tell us your story below in the comments section. All I ever hear on my end is disaster stories.

But, that is kind of my job! Helping everyone with mistakes!

 

 

 KC

Understanding pH Teaches You How to Care for Hair Correctly

Fight the Fade 

 

 

 

Prolong Hair Color with the Power of pH

 pH value is between 0 and 14, 
a pH value of 7.0 is considered neutral
all values below neutral are acidic 
and 
all values above are alkaline. 
An 
acidic solution has a positive electrical charge (+)
and an 
alkaline solution has a negative electrical charge (-)

Healthy Hair Vs. Damaged Hair

• Normal, healthy hair has a pH value of between 4.5 and 5.5 and is considered acidic. 
• Hair in this state will be positively charged (+) and has a compact cuticle structure. 
• The outside cuticle layer is closed and smooth, promoting a natural, healthy shine.
• The internal cortex is protected, and moisture levels are maintained, ensuring good strength and elasticity. 
• Healthy hair has even, normal porosity and provides a good base for chemical services.

Damaged hair has pH value above 7.0 
& 
is negatively charged (-). 

The cuticle layer is raised with a dull/matt surface. 

The raised cuticle layer can catch, resulting in tangled hair with a high susceptibility to mechanical damage – caused by combing or other external influences. In addition, the cortex will be exposed to further damage, in danger of losing essential moisture and becoming dry or brittle. 

Damaged hair will be very porous and provides a poor surface for chemical treatments, with potentially uneven results.
 


pH and Products

As the majority of hair products are a solution, and therefore have a pH value, it follows that this can influence the condition of hair.

Chemical treatments, such as a lightener, perm or color, are deliberately alkaline, or have a pH value higher than the hair’s natural value. This causes the cuticle layer to open up, allowing the product to enter the inner hair structure. It is therefore essential to thoroughly rinse the hair following a chemical process and apply a good re-structuring pH balancing Conditioner like INTENSIVE

 Care products of various brands are predominantly acidic, and have an astringent effect on the hair, closing the cuticle layer. Shampoos will typically have a pH value close to the hair’s natural level, promoting gentle cleansing. Conditioners and treatments however, have a higher acid value, helping to return damaged, hair back to a normal, healthy condition.

Hair Color & pH 
When hair is colored, the pH increases from an optimum value of 4.5 – making it more alkaline and during color development, the outer and inner hair structure is loosened up in order for color pigments to penetrate the hair. For this reason a conditioner or treatment after a color service helps to reset the hair to the optimum pH value of 4.5.

What is the pH of the Hair and Scalp?

Maintaining the correct pH value of the hair & scalp is essential for the overall health of hair. Hair products can control the pH of hair.

What is Neutral pH?
A pH of 7 is chemically neutral. Hair care products with a pH value in between 3.5 and 5.5 are considered as being beneficial for hair care products.

Variations in pH
When pH value drops below 6.0 the cuticle layer contracts and tightens. A mild acidic conditioner (lower than pH 7) can help to add shine to the hair, as a smooth surface is able to reflect more light; strong acids will however damage the hair. Acid conditioners should not be used when red/orange tones have been added to the hair, instead use a color-specific care range.

When pH value becomes more alkaline (above 7.0) the cuticle layer softens and expands like a pinecone. This is necessary as part of the coloring process in order to deposit pigments within the hair structure, however if the pH becomes too alkali, damage will occur.

 Also many 'form' products make use of the effect of alkali pH values on hair.

Hair with a very alkaline, porous structure will not retain color effectively. In this instance the cuticle will fail to hold the new pigments, which will ultimately rinse out prematurely.

Following your own little hair diagnosis you now have the education I provide you.... to care for your hair yourself. I am hoping with my instruction and many Posts on the importance of pH you will begin to take it seriously and realize how important it is in the end result and look + health of your hair. 

YOU CAN NOW PREVENT DAMAGE & KEEP HAIR LOOKING AMAZING by keeping it pH balanced.

Understanding Hair and Scalp Types

In this post we explore how to understand and care for, the typical range of hair and scalp types.

The sebaceous gland plays an important role in determining hair and scalp type. The production of sebum is a natural process that adds strength and lustre to hair strands. However, diet, blood circulation, emotional distress and drugs and the aging process can all influence production. Salon products are designed specifically to compliment individual needs and work toward producing strong, healthy, naturally beautiful hair. Hair and Scalp types fall into the following broad categories:

Oily
Over-active sebaceous glands produce an excess quantity of sebum, which can make hair limp and lank. This may be due to hormonal changes, often evident during puberty or menopause. Many people have a naturally oily scalp, which can result in greasy hair. Fair hair is much finer than dark hair, hence is more susceptible to excess oil.

High quality shampoos cleanse without stripping the hair of essential moisture and nutrients.

Dry
Dry hair looks dull and lifeless and is also more susceptible to breakage. Dry hair can only be stretched 15% of its overall length before breaking, while healthy hair can be stretched up to twice this amount, more when wet! A common cause of dry hair is dehydration; water retention can measure between 4 and 13% of overall hair volume.

A change in lifestyle can make all the difference, and there are many products available to help nourish the cortex and smooth cuticles. If you purchase our 400-WATT Kit you go from   lifeless - dull hair to most-likely the best your hair has ever looked.

Me trying to sell you on it, is not nearly as helpful to you as one of our new customer s words which I want to show you now an example of the many emails I receive each and every week for over 8 years now...........

DEAR KILLERSTRANDS,

wow, what can I say the 400 Watt package I purchased is amazin, as I am sure you already know but I wanted to send you photos of what just one treatment of all 3  products did for my hair.  I have the before and the after here for you to see.  Now I will tell you that I am 50 years of age and I do color and get highlights in my hair and I thought my hair was in fairly good shape but wow, again its all I can say, love love love these products. 

I have included 3 photos

1.  Before killer strands products, I wanted to have a before and after to see how they would work.  you can see I have a bit of your Breaking Bad Blue on the bottom portion of my hair and there are subtle highlights throughout my hair.

2.  This is a photo after the full process

3.  Another photo slightly closer angle so you can see my hair better. As I said blond highlights throughout but your BBB is on the lower portion of my hair I get so many complements on this. 

With Intensive I noticed right away I could run a comb through my hair after my shower which I have not been able to do without product for as long as I can remember.  Then I left the Thriven in for about 3 hours and that made my hair even softer then I let it dry and when it was almost dry I added a few drops of gleam and it just finished it off beautifully.  My hair was somewhat dry before but now it is soft and gorgeous.  I cant wait to see how much more it will improve as I use these regularly.  I will never stop taking good care of my hair now that I have found the right products, and believe me I have tried many over the years.  No contest, you have Killer products.  My heart felt thanks to you for this. 

I want to do more highlights throughout my hair so that the colors I buy from you Burst come through more effectively.  I have now purchased the Sex in the Driveway and the Violet Pilot.  I have to tell you that now I want to buy

Icey Silver

Adios Mutha Fucka

and Frosty Magenta

Ok as I said I wanted to show you how ab fab your product worked out on my hair thank you so much.

xoxoxox,

Titania

07/28/2015

 Normal Hair

Normal hair is shiny, supple and good looking and is the result of a well-balanced, healthy lifestyle, combined with good hair care using the right products.

Mixed Condition
Over-active sebaceous glands and poor scalp condition may create a glut of sebum; this can be absorbed back into the scalp, preventing essential oils from traveling the length of the hair strand. The scalp in this condition is a common cause of Pityriasis steatoides. Mixed condition hair types have dry, frizzy ends that are prone to breaking, with oily roots. In this scenario application techniques are very important when applying products to ensure the problem area is targeted.

Our Gleam and the Kaaral Scalp scrub will pretty much take care of any scalp conditions one may find......So with the 4 products you can solve all problems and have the healthiest/shiniest and most beautiful hair of your life. 



That's pretty simple in most people's book....AND.........

AND..............................you CAN DO IT AT HOME ! ! ! !  

KC